TAKE a well-rehearsed cast, an impressive set of costumes, a good orchestra and a cute collection of children and you have what Stage Door do best - the classic musical.

TAKE a well-rehearsed cast, an impressive set of costumes, a good orchestra and a cute collection of children and you have what Stage Door do best - the classic musical.

There is no doubt that there is still a good appetite for this type of entertainment and after a rather nervous start Stage Door showed that they can do a pretty good job of delivering up a tasty helping of another old favourite.

The advantage of this particular show is that it has a solid story line and an impressive set of well known songs - Whistle a Happy Tune, Hello Young Lovers, Getting to Know You and Shall we Dance to name but a few.

Director Steve Darlow had a good array of local talent to work with and made the most of them. Stephen Lawrence, although in stature not an obvious choice for the king - took the part by the scruff of the neck and was believable in the role - Claire Perkins as Anna showed her experience , and Alli Sparrow- Hewitt was excellent as Lady Thiang - her solo of Something Wonderful was a real treat.

The children attempted to steal the show of course, but they were very good and worked well with the adults.

Although a little slow to begin with, as the main characters settled into their roles the show got better.

The highlight for me was in the second half with a stylised theatrical performance of Uncle Toms Cabin as a Thai masked mime.

Brilliantly choreographed and executed by all the performers it showed off the talent of the whole company and left me wondering why they don't attempt more modern and challenging productions.

That said, this was a polished performance.

Helped by a professional sounding orchestra and a well balanced, effective set this was an entertaining show that Stage Door can be proud of to mark their 20th Anniversary.

Susan Hawkes